Nerve


A bundle of fibers that uses electrical and chemical signals to transmit sensory and motor information from one body part to another. The fibrous portions of a nerve are covered by a sheath called myelin and/or a membrane called neurilemma. (Note that entries for specific nerves can be found under the names of the particular nerves. For example, the optic nerve is not under ‘nerve, optic’ but rather under ‘optic nerve.’)

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  • Neprilysin

    Metallomembrane endopeptidase.

  • Nerve block

    A procedure in which an anesthetic agent is injected directly near a nerve to block pain. A nerve block is a form of regional anesthesia.

  • Nerve compression

    Pinching’ of a nerve that is due to too much pressure on it. For example, a woman’s sciatic nerve may be painfully compressed by the weight and position of the fetus during the latter part of pregnancy.

  • Nerve conduction study

    Nerve conduction velocity test.

  • Nerve conduction velocity test

    An electrical test used to detect nerve conditions. In the nerve conduction velocity (NCV) test, the nerve is electrically stimulated by one electrode while other electrodes detect the electrical impulse “down stream” from the first electrode. The NCV test is usually done with surface patch electrodes similar to those used for an EKG (electrocardiogram). The […]


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